Improvement in washing-machines



dada tata SARAH J. CLARK, CF RICHMOND, INDIANA.

Letters Patent No. 11:0,825, dated J annary 10, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN WASHING-MACHINES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making pari: of the same.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SARAH J. CLARK, of Richmo11d,\Vay11e county, in the State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Washing-lilachines; and I hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part ot' this specification.

The nature or essence of my invention consists in the particular' construction and arrangement of' devices forming the improvements in the washing-machine described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawing.

In the above-mentioned drawing- Ifigure l is a plan or top view of a machine with my improvements.

Figure 2 is a section ot` ilieniachiue.

Inthis drawing- A is air oblong box or vat, proi'ided with four legs, BB,to support it at a convenient height for washing.

C C are two cleats, see section, Iig. 2, fastened to the inside ot' the box Ato support the wash-board D, which rests upon them and extends across the box.

Ihe upper surface ofthe wash-board D is corrugated zinc plate, secured in a tray of wood just long enough to reach across' the box A; and to relieve the clothes being washed from the frietion of the edges ot' the tray as they are drawn across the wash-board, I make two rollers, E E, to turn freely in the sides ofthe box, that is, one roller on each side of the wash-board.

To rub or Vbrush the clothes on the board D I make a block, Il, in the form shown in the' drawing, and set bristles on the underside, to form a brush to traverse across the clothes on the board D. rIhis block F has the handle G fastened to it, which is. seized by the operator to traverse the block and wash the clothes.

To holdv the block F over the board D .while it is being traversed, I make a frame, consisting ot the bars H H and rods I I which are firmly fastened into the bars to make a frame just wide enough to fit in the box A; and it is supported by four brackets, J J, fastened tothe inside ot' the box.

The projecting ends of the block F are perforated for thc rods I I, so that the `block will traverseY freely across the machine on the rods, right' over the wash, board DI.

'Io enable theoperator to traverse the brush-block fast with ease, I put the spirally-eoiled springs K K on the rods `I I, to prevent the blockll from slamming against the sides' of the box. When it is moved across, the springs are compressed alternately ou cach side,

and inreacting give the block a smart impulse in the opposite direct-ion, so as to materially assist the operator in working the machine.

The ends ot' the bars H H are rounded, so as to turn iu the brackets when' the block and frame are raised to theA position shown in Iig. 2, where they are supported by the standard L fastened to the box, which catches under the bracket M fastened to the top of the block.

I fasten the spring-clampN to the side of the block F, so that small articles can be fastened by the clamp and held to the block while they are rubbed and brushed. 'Ihe clamp N is pressed onto the clothes by the spring P, in g.1`.

I make a hole in the bottom of the box to let the water ont, and apply the valve Q to it to stopit; but it maybe opened by pushing down the rod R and turning the button S tolxold it open.

To use the above'- lescribed machine, I fill the box with water nearly to `the top of the wash-board, soap the clothes and pnt them in the water, draw one end of the piece to be washed onto the board and brush it, then raise the brush and draw the washed part into the water and brush the part on the board; and thus continue until it is washed.

1. In combination with the brushblock F, the, springs K K, arranged substantially as described, for

XVitnesscs:

J. J. Rossum., J Amis M. Pon. 

